[Solved] Modeling Rigging for Animation

[noonespecial]

I need a little help with rigging this landing gear for an animation I'm making for a lander for Chaka Monkey.

Currently I have seven parts. Four parts show in these pictures and three empties. I've used "damped track" to bind the piston parts together so they will follow each other and move like a piston is supposed to. But what I need to do now is bind the yellow piston to the pink part shown so that the piston will stay attached as the leg moves up and down. Any advice?

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Edited September 29, 2014 by noonespecial

[nli2work]

if the landing strut has no suspension; just key it in the 3d app.

if it does, you can use the LookAtConstraint to point the two piston arms at each other.

info on those in this thread

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/72802

[noonespecial]

if the landing strut has no suspension; just key it in the 3d app.

if it does, you can use the LookAtConstraint to point the two piston arms at each other.

info on those in this thread

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/72802

The two piston parts look at each, I got that part. What I need to do is constrain the yellow piston to the pink base on the landing leg so that it will "stay" as the leg lowers and raises.

[nli2work]

child it to the pink piece in Unity

Blue piece

• Red piece //LookAt yellow or pink piece
  

Green piece

• pink piece
  
  • yellow piece //LookAt red piece
    

[noonespecial]

child it to the pink piece in Unity

Blue piece

• Red piece //LookAt yellow or pink piece
  

Green piece

• pink piece
  
  • yellow piece //LookAt red piece
    

Thank you. Works perfectly!

[noonespecial]

and the results:

[nli2work]

very nice! check out Bahamuto's lander leg tutorial if you want set up suspension on it.

[CaptainKipard]

That piston breaks my suspension.. ... of disbelief. If this were real the hydraulics would have trouble moving that part because the grey piece is too close to the pivot. The further it is the less pressure you'd need to move the leg.

[noonespecial]

That piston breaks my suspension.. ... of disbelief. If this were real the hydraulics would have trouble moving that part because the grey piece is too close to the pivot. The further it is the less pressure you'd need to move the leg.

I originally had it toward the center, but the animation exceeding the length of the piston. I moved it down for test purposes (the picture is resulting from that), but I didn't like that. So I moved it about 1/3rd of the way up, just at the limits of the extension. Although, after looking at the concept art again from here (page 52 has the best view). Looks like I'm going to change it again.